Photo: Courtesy

Prominent cultural activist, journalist and media personality, Muhammad Jahangir breathed his last at Asgar Ali Hospital in Dhaka yesterday, after an uphill battle with cancer for years. He was 68 years old at the time of his passing. He was the executive director of Centre for Development Communication and the coordinator of one of Bangladesh’s leading dance companies, Nrityanchal.

Nrityanchal’s journey began in the year 2000, as a three-way collaborative effort between dancer duo – Shibli Mohammad and Shamim Ara Nipa, along with Muhammad Jahangir. Since then, Muhammad Jahangir has played an instrumental role in advancing the company to the stage it has reached today.

“Jahangir Sir not only coordinated Nrityanchal’s activities but also provided his valuable guidance in shaping every production that was undertaken by Nrityanchal in the past two decades,” said Nur Alam Michael, the programme officer of Nrityanchal. “He was a constant driving force for us at the company and will be painfully missed by every member of the Nrityanchal family.”

Muhammad Jahangir was Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus’ younger brother. He was laid to rest at the Shaheed Buddhijibi graveyard in Mirpur, in the presence of friends, family and well-wishers yesterday evening.